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Rick Steves, Scotland: Sampling haggis and a few bevvies

Rick Steves, Scotland: Unique culture reflects a fierce pride and Scots are especially patriotic when it comes to their the whisky

Cadenhead's Whisky Shop in Edinburgh is a serious place to sample and buy pure whisky.
(Rick Steves)

By Rick StevesSpecial to the Star

Thu., Oct. 16, 2014

My fondest memories of travels in Scotland are in being in pubs with folk bands stomping the paint off the floor as locals come together with the a twinkle in their eyes. This is when I really feel I’m in Scotland, not Britain.

Home of kilts, bagpipes, whisky, golf and haggis, go-its-own-way Scotland boasts a culture that stands apart from the rest of the British Isles.

As Wales is, Scotland is a country of ragtag Celts, who share an island with wealthy, powerful Anglo-Saxons.

Since the days of William “Braveheart” Wallace, the Scots have chafed under English rule. Ever since the 1707 Act of Union tied Scotland to England, its southern neighbour, Scottish nationalists have rioted for independence, in Edinburgh’s streets and led rebellions in the Highlands.

Although it is peaceful now, Scotland still has a strong urge for independence. In recent years, the country has become increasingly autonomous; it opened its own Parliament in 1999. While voters recently rejected outright independence, there’s no question Scotland will remain uniquely Scottish.

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Scottish culture is distinctive. Sometimes it can feel something of a cliché. Whether you are driving through the Highlands or walking Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, it seems as though the folk music, kilts, and bagpiping buskers are there, at least in part, for the tourists.

Still, when I visit, I find myself caught up in Scotland’s pride for its traditions.

Kilts became a patriotic statement during wars with England. For centuries, the stirring drone of bagpipes accompanied kilted Highland soldiers into battle, inspiring them, raising their spirits, and announcing to the enemy that they were about to meet a fierce and mighty foe.

For a chance to hear a bagpiper in the wild, drive through the remote, evocative Highlands valley called Glencoe. Besides grand views, you’ll see flocks of “hairy coos” (shaggy Highland cattle), and, if you’re lucky and the weather is good, roadside Highland buskers. Whenever I see one, I stop and ask to finger a tune on the melody pipe while the piper powers the music with its drone pipes by filling the bags.

Scottish traditions are on display at the Highland Games, which take place around the country each summer. Rather than target the big famous gatherings, I make a point of visiting the smaller clan games. On my last trip, I was lucky to be in the town of Kenmore for their games.

The local field was taken over by big Scottish men in kilts tossing cabers, which are long, pole-like tree trunks, and throwing hammers. Girls performed Highland dances on the makeshift stage. Another group was running through the fells, an homage to the supposed origins of the Highland Games, when people would compete to become the king or clan chief’s foot messenger.

Scotland isn’t exactly known for its cuisine, but it is famous for haggis. I may be in the minority here, but I like the stuff. Haggis began as peasant food. Waste-conscious cooks wrapped sheep’s hearts, livers, and lungs in stomach lining and boiled these scraps, then added spices and oats to create a hearty meal — and to make it more palatable. Traditionally served with “neeps and tatties” (turnips and potatoes), haggis was forever immortalized thanks to Robert Burns’ poem, “Address to a Haggis,” which extolled the virtues of the dish.

Haggis can be found on many menus. Cooking methods range from plain deep-fried to “haute and oat,” a term for Scottish fine dining. In Edinburgh, I get my fix at the Wedgwood Restaurant, which serves a scrumptious pigeon and haggis starter. Recently I also tried haggis-flavored potato chips. Not bad.

A unique Scottish flavour is the soft drink called Irn-Bru, pronounced “Iron Brew.” This bright-orange beverage tastes like bubblegum, and has a slightly bitter aftertaste. Irn-Bru’s appeal may elude most non-Scots, but it’s hugely popular here.

They Scots are absolutely patriotic about whisky, which is why it’s considered the national drink. While there are plenty of distillery tours, a visit to a fine whisky shop, such as Cadenhead’s, at the bottom of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, offers a chance to gain an education about the drink and have a small bottle filled with it from the cask of your choice.

Or you can simply belly up to the bar in a neighbourhood pub and ask a local what they like best and why. Scots are passionate about finding and describing the whisky that fits their personality. Each guy in the pub has “his” whisky. And the descriptors — fruity, peppery, peaty, smoky — are much easier to taste than their wine-snob equivalents. As you sit in a pub and learn by drinking, consider how understanding “food patriotism” here in Scotland brings out the fun and fascinating character of the place.

Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks. Email him at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.

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